Karpenko-Poluyanova Svitlana - Ukrainian artist

Svitlana Karpenko Poluyanova is a contemporary Ukrainian artist working in painting and graphic art. Her works draw on impressions of the surrounding world, emotional experiences, and artistic imagery shaped by observation and personal creative ideas. Her artistic practice combines an interest in expressive color, the character of form, and individual interpretations of subject matter.

Svitlana Poluyanova’s artistic journey began with studies at an art school. She later received training as an artist-technologist. For many years, she worked as a graphic designer and also shared her artistic knowledge with younger generations by teaching fine art. Her professional experience in painting and graphic design has shaped the foundation of her artistic approach. Her works demonstrate an attention to composition, an interest in visual rhythm, and a desire to convey her personal perception of the subject.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the artist has lived and worked in Kyiv. Continuing her creative practice under difficult circumstances, she explores themes in which personal impressions intertwine with the surrounding reality and events that leave a lasting mark on collective memory.

Svitlana Poluyanova works with oil and acrylic paints. Her painting style is close to Impressionism, an approach that emphasizes impressions, emotional perception, and the expressive power of visual imagery. Her graphic works show an affinity with Art Nouveau aesthetics, while the degree of stylization depends on the concept behind each individual piece. The artist does not limit herself to a single genre or fixed visual style. Her portfolio includes still lifes, interior compositions, diptychs, and narrative works. Each piece calls for its own approach to composition, materials, and the expression of mood.

Experiments with texture hold a special place in her creative practice. In some works, Svitlana uses burlap, glue, and acrylic, creating surfaces that become an essential part of the artistic image. This combination of materials expands the expressive possibilities of each piece and moves beyond the boundaries of a traditional painted surface.

Svitlana Poluyanova finds inspiration in observing the world around her, emotional experiences, literary imagery, and contemporary events in Ukraine. Her work “Airship,” for example, is connected with Ray Bradbury’s literary work Dandelion Wine. It illustrates how a literary experience can become the starting point for an independent artistic interpretation.

Another significant work is “Serpent from Snake Island,” dedicated to a cat discovered by Ukrainian reconnaissance soldiers after the liberation of Snake Island. The animal had spent several months on the island under occupation. The soldiers named the cat Serpent; he later settled in Kyiv with the family of a unit commander. The cat’s story became the basis for an artwork that connects an individual animal’s fate with a specific event in Ukrainian history.

In her other works, the artist explores a wide range of subjects, from still lifes and interior motifs to figurative compositions focused on people, emotions, and relationships with the surrounding world. This diversity allows her to adapt her visual language to the content and character of each idea.

For Svitlana Poluyanova, it is important to work in response to a creative impulse rather than allowing the process to be governed solely by a predetermined outcome. She seeks to focus on the act of creating itself: conveying emotions, impressions drawn from life, or an image that gradually takes shape in her imagination.

The artist uses the surname Poluyanova in memory of her grandfather, who was also an artist and died from wounds sustained during the Second World War. The surname serves as a personal tribute to his memory and forms part of her artistic signature.

The work of Svitlana Poluyanova (Karpenko) brings together explorations in painting and graphic art, a variety of materials, and a focus on the emotional dimension of art. Her portfolio reveals how personal impressions, artistic experimentation, and events in contemporary life are transformed into distinctive visual expressions. Visitors can explore her paintings and graphic works, discover individual pieces, and choose an original artwork for a personal collection or interior.